Return to Monkey Island

Return to Monkey Island segna il ritorno di Guybrush Threepwood in un’avventura piena di humor, enigmi intelligenti e riferimenti nostalgici che faranno sorridere ogni fan. Lo stile grafico è vivace e originale, i dialoghi brillano per ironia, e il gameplay unisce il fascino dei classici con soluzioni moderne. Un titolo divertente e accogliente per veterani e nuovi pirati, anche se, non raggiunge la magia dei capitoli storici.

Finished the game in only 12 Hours. It just doesn't have the MAGIC of the older Monkey Island games!

I've never heard of the game before, but I loved it. So much fun and lovely story.

By the 2020s, when the 30th anniversary of the original games passed, it was generally accepted that [b]Monkey Island[/b] wasn't going to return, and even what was left of LucasArts had been gone for years, with at least the comfort of having faded after the 2009–10 releases rather than with [b]Escape[/b]. And yet, it returned: in another display of changing times, under the wing of one of the top indie publishers today, also bearing a resurrected Lucasfilm Games brand (to get an idea of how nostalgic that is, it was originally replaced by the LucasArts name and logo right after the first [b]MI[/b]), and with Ron Gilbert returning at the helm along with Dave Grossman. Let's get the first elephant out of the room: the visual style. I can get dislike, I can get disappointment, but too much vitriol and bile have been poured before and after release, a sad sign of how much worse online discourse has become over the years. I was perplexed myself until I got to see it on my screen, and it took in fact little for me to like it: so angular, colorful, distinctive and much more detailed than it may seem at first sight. Ironically, what I like the least is Guybrush's design, while I dig most of the designs of old and new characters. I also get that not everyone is a fan of that animation style (which only now I discover is called "tweening"); it's not bad and some scenes make good use of it, but I'd still have liked to see something feeling more "hand-crafted". Once again I'm reminded that the times [b]Curse of Monkey Island[/b] got the budget for all that traditional animation are far behind. In any case, we are talking of a series that basically changed artstyle with every episode, so I find talks about "not the style of [b]MI[/b]" frankly moot. Among old names that are great to see again we got the original composers, especially Michael Land, as the immortal music theme (but also LeChuck's theme) keeps delighting the ears, and Dominic Armato, who since his debut in [b]Curse[/b] 25 years earlier, has been there to voice Guybrush every single time. On the other hand, due to the retirement of the original voice actor, LeChuck has a new one who does his best but is not as great, not helped by how sound editing could have made him more booming during the hammiest moments. While at this point very simplified, the interface—thankfully and finally we are back to using just the mouse—distinguishes itself for how the actions shown when over an interactable object or person aren't just some dry "object name", "pick up X", but text with different levels of flavor, from describing an action in a more involving or funny way than just "use object", to what are basically the thoughts of Guybrush, like hovering the cursor over a banner that tells an old place is going to close its doors and reading "Oh no!" It's a subtle attention to detail that adds a lot. Guybrush moves quite fast by default, and runs like hell with a double click. Very early on, he receives a magic book that works just like the hints in the remasters of the first two episodes, gradual suggestions until revealing a puzzle outright. No obligation to use it but no chance to get stuck: everyone's happy, and not having to alt-tab to look for hints is a notable bonus. Contrary to rumors that it would only follow up on the first two games and ignore the rest, [b]Return[/b] acknowledges all its predecessors; they are often referenced in story beats and conversations. After all, while critical of some choices, Ron Gilbert has, to my knowledge, generally respected the work of the developers who handled [b]MI[/b] after him. Notably not addressed, however, is the post-credits cliffhanger of [b]Tales[/b]. My personal theory is that they decided to avoid making up a resolution for something only the original developers of that episode would really know—in short, not wanting to do what was done in the post-Gilbert games. Not even when and how LeChuck came back once again is addressed, but to be fair, he's done that so many times it's lost importance. At the same time, [b]Return[/b] opens by addressing the bizarre and controversial ending of the second episode in a way that is very likely to leave a player scratching their head before it gets clearer, somewhat. Elaine, while having notable importance and being very supportive when Guybrush needs it most, is clearly portrayed as her own person, with her own things to handle, rather than "attached" to him. Her serene tolerance of Guybrush's antics, however, contrasts with how, for a while, it looks like their relationship would be eventually put to the test. Apparently there were some last-minute cuts and changes around that. Even among the constant humour, brilliant dialogue, and absurd characters the series is famous for, [b]Return[/b] can feel bizarrely depressing at times, as it opens with revisiting a Melee Island where a lot has changed and old places are closed or closing, while both Guybrush and LeChuck struggle with being even considered and obsess over their common goal and their rivalry, in a world that is moving on and not waiting for them. And yet, some old characters are better off now, to tell that not all change is necessarily negative. After revisiting Melee and Monkey Island, the story opens up to a completely new set of islands and characters—only to reach a new confrontation on Monkey Island relatively quickly. I've been left with the impression that they crashed onto a wall of budget concerns at some point, which causes those places to feel undercooked, especially Terror Island. Even Monkey Island itself could have featured more (where are the cannibals?). Which leads us to the other elephant in the room: the ending. To be clear, even if the aforementioned new islands were developed more extensively, I think not much would have changed about it, only that it would have been reached after some more play time. It's clear that Gilbert likes meta, 4th-wall-breaking endings, and I'd say it's kept consistent with himself and [b]Le Chuck's Revenge[/b] in that regard. Can't change how abrupt it is and how much of a retread of the [b]LCR[/b] ending it is; therefore, it's perfectly understandable that many fans have felt disappointed (until they went on to insult Gilbert on his blog, that is). However, I reject those extremely negative interpretations of [b]Return to Monkey Island[/b] as some insult to the fans. I got and accepted the message it tries to send, or at least the one I personally understood. The many different post-credits scenes you can see depending on a few choices at the end also further muck things up, but in a positive way. Telling more would be a spoiler—let's just say that a couple of them and the very final lines of dialogue helped a lot in shaping my opinion of the game. [b]Return[/b] is far from the best [b]Monkey Island[/b] game: even with a less controversial ending and artstyle, it's got a middle part that needed more time in the oven. But bad? Absolutely not. The first two episodes stay there, untouched and still the best, but I'm here over 30 years later, enjoying another [b]Monkey Island[/b] game. After a one-two punch of this and the dedicated Tall Tales in [b]Sea of Thieves[/b], we can't know what will be next. Maybe [b]Monkey Island[/b] will fade away again, possibly once and for all, or maybe it will return once more. There are still many tales of Guybrush Threepwood that can be told.

I have been a fan since the Curse of Monkey Island, so this was a fantastic and faithful return to the series. I was reduced to lying facedown and mute on the floor for five minutes after completing the game but apart from the total emotional whiplash I would say it was very enjoyable.

Only persisted with this as long as I did since it was a gift. I find the graphical style ranges from purposely obnoxious (the faces) to basic and lacking detail (the scenery.) I wanted to look past the graphics since I really liked the first couple of instalments back in the day but everything about this feels dumbed down, empty and soulless compared to the old ones and it became obvious early on the game was heading towards another one of Ron Gilbert's "oh look it's so meta.. not the ending you expected.. again" conclusions that I gave up. Skipping through a walkthrough on Youtube confirmed that I haven't missed anything worthwhile by cutting my losses.

Horrible art style & lacks all of the magic of the originals... A shame